Concerning Cheating in ASEAN Games and Anywhere Else
by Jose Rizal M. Reyes / poet-philosopher, Philippines / June 21, 2015
"Philippines may host 2019 ASEAN Games as Brunei withdraws"
-- Rappler news report
"Philippines may host 2019 ASEAN Games as Brunei withdraws"
-- Rappler news report
It is a well-known fact that whichever country hosts the ASEAN Games, it has this tendency to garner more golds than usual, or even win the overall championship. This is an indication that whoever is the host takes advantage of the chance to stack the dice in its favor. Very, very shameful for ASEAN as a whole, more so because this odorous malpractice seems to be accepted by everyone as among the facts of life.
Giant ladybugs and huge luminous animals were part of the presentation during the opening ceremony of the
28th SEA Games held from June 5-16, 2015 in Singapore. Photo by Lawrence Wong via Google.
28th SEA Games held from June 5-16, 2015 in Singapore. Photo by Lawrence Wong via Google.
The next time we host the ASEAN Games or any other competition for that matter, be in sports or not, what I want to happen is this: Our country should strive to host in the fairest way possible and become a shining model for fairness and impartiality.
Forget about the golds; let other countries vie for that ... although if we can get a good share of them in an honest and honorable way, why not? But serving as a paragon of fairness in hosting and officiating is in my view a higher honor and would fill up a greater need of our planet which is so disgustingly full of shams, scams and lies.
Just consider cheating and irregularity in boxing. Manny Pacquiao's Canadian adviser Michael Koncz knows it very well -- in fact, the latter once suddenly threw a towel on a substitute Filipino boxer who was unexpectedly wining a fight in a foreign country, telling those who questioned his action: "You don't know boxing."
The boring $300 million bout between Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao disappointed the boxing world.
Of course, Floyd Mayweather also knows a lot about cheating and irregularity in boxing. In Mayweather's mega-fight against Manny Pacquiao, the judges' scores were so controversial that Cambodia's longtime Prime Minister Hun Sen refused to pay his $5,000 bet on Paquiao. The angry Hun Sen said Pacquiao's aggressiveness deserves to triumph over Mayweather's defensive approach.
But let us keep our discussion on a more general level. This piece is about a matter of principle, not about specific shenanigans in sports. Below is a sonnet I wrote about the subject several years ago.
Wrestling is one of the Olympic sports in ancient Greece.
Sonnet 347. The Olympic Ideal
The ancient Greeks competed fair-and-square;
The priests took care of athletes equally.
No city-state nor holy priest would dare
To cheat and anger gods consequently.
The priests took care of athletes equally.
No city-state nor holy priest would dare
To cheat and anger gods consequently.
And that is why Leonidas and his men
Were so alone to block the Persian horde.
The Greeks could not assist their countrymen;
For fighting during games the gods abhorred.
Were so alone to block the Persian horde.
The Greeks could not assist their countrymen;
For fighting during games the gods abhorred.
This sacred tack we should again adopt
In handling all the current sports we play.
Along this line, it's absolutely apt
That our beloved country leads the way.
In handling all the current sports we play.
Along this line, it's absolutely apt
That our beloved country leads the way.
Let other nations capture all the gold.
Let RP be like honest Greece of old.
Let RP be like honest Greece of old.
Jose Rizal M. Reyes
February 20, 2008B
February 20, 2008B
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